Video 9:05
Hine at the helm

Transcript

AIRLIE WARD, PRESENTER: After two years acting in the job, Darren Hine got the lead role permanently as Tasmania's Police Commissioner on the eve of his 48th birthday.

The Smithton-born career police officer joined the force when he was 17 and for some time was literally married to the job. His wife only recently left the force.

Although Commissioner Hine came to the top job in unusual circumstances after the controversial standing down of Jack Johnston, he insists it's been business as usual.

DARREN HINE, POLICE COMMISSIONER: Oh I like that, that's not a bad hat. I can see you in that.

TEACHER: I think the cowboy one is more your style.

DARREN HINE: Yeah maybe the cowboy one, not this one.

Come on. Oh very nice.

Some time ago there was a position of adopt a cop, a part-time position and another police officer does one part-time position and so another part-time position became available and I put my hand up for it.

So once a fortnight I go across to the paediatric unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital and try to just break down those barriers between the kids and the parents and the police and look I really enjoy it.

There's some just great kids over there that you get to interact with. Some of them have serious illnesses but at the end of the day they're just kids.

JACK JOHNSTON, FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER: I haven't done this since years and years ago.

AIRLIE WARD: Darren Hine knows the meaning of patience.

For more than two years he's been acting in the role of Police Commissioner after his predecessor, Jack Johnston, was forced to stand aside to answer charges of disclosing official secrets.

The proceedings were permanently stayed but Mr Johnston resigned from Tasmania Police after conciliation.

DARREN HINE: I was placed in the position through unusual circumstances and we had a job to do. As far as I'm concerned, we still have the job to do and keep going, so not a lot has changed apart from the word 'acting'.

AIRLIE WARD: During the proceedings against Mr Johnston, the possibility of a conflict was raised between the dual roles of Commissioner and being the head of the Government department of Police and Emergency Management, the circumstances that led to you being appointed acting Commissioner.

On that, do you think that there is a conflict between the role of head of agency and the role as a police officer or Police Commissioner?

DARREN HINE: I actually don't see the conflict. I think it's quite clear the role of the secretary and quite clear the role of the Commissioner. So I actually don't see that conflict. I think you have got a role in both positions. But is there a conflict? Not to me, no.

AIRLIE WARD: While still acting in the role, Darren Hine was on the panel which sacked former children's commissioner Paul Mason. Police were criticised by Paul Mason and the successful applicant came from within one of the agencies that was also criticised.

Now you were on that selection panel, are you satisfied it was all above board?

DARREN HINE: I'm certainly satisfied. I was asked to be on the panel before the report was released and previously the Deputy Commissioner was actually on the panel that selected Paul Mason as well.

So it is not unusual for someone from the police agency to be on the selection panel.

In relation to the criticism of police in the report, he made a finding in relation to how we should have known the association between Devine and the girl involved in the case but we didn't actually find out, according to our records, until the after the prostitution ceased. So that was an issue, we looked into that and we didn't find a finding that Mr Mason made.

AIRLIE WARD: Commissioner Hine says the report did raise some legitimate points and he is keen to improve the working relationship with the Health and Education Departments.

DARREN HINE: We're certainly at the moment looking at youth offending and youth at risk, and so we are working through with the Education and Health Departments to make sure that we can better interrupt youth and youth offending.

So we certainly have a real commitment to that and we want to collaborate and we are collaborating with both those organisations and we have started on the journey down that to look at those specific issues and I'm really pleased how it's going so far.

AIRLIE WARD: The Police Association has welcomed Darren Hine's appointment to the top job. He's seen as approachable and in touch with the rank and file.

The Commissioner still takes to the beat and would give many a younger officer or criminal a run for their money, recently pounding the pavement in the Burnie 10 - a training run for next month's Point to Pinnacle.

Negotiations for a new work agreement could test the friendship, though, as police push for a comparative wage with police interstate.

DARREN HINE: It's like each EBA process. It's done in confidence and at the moment it's still in the in-confidence stage with the negotiations occuring with the Police Association and this department as well.

It's a matter of going through that proper process before we can make any assessment and public announcement what is going to occur.

AIRLIE WARD: There's a difference of opinion over the general issue of tasers or stun guns.

DARREN HINE: We've actually told the Police Association a number of months ago about that and they fully know that at this stage we're not going to issue tasers.

AIRLIE WARD: However, they are in sync over the failed police boat 'Fortescue', which hasn't met full operational requirements since it was launched two years ago.

DARREN HINE: We are going to commission an inquiry and we've started the process so we can get outside experts to look at our entire ocean going fleet. The 'Fortescue' doesn't do what we expected it to do and we need to look at that.

AIRLIE WARD: Is that an expensive mistake?

DARREN HINE: There has been additional costs and, again, we've been quite open in relation to that but we do have to have a vessel that can do its job.

It doesn't do the job that we first expected but we do have to fix it.

AIRLIE WARD: Association calls for increased frontline numbers will be answered with 30 extra officers and increased hours for some stations.

Where are those 30 officers likely to go, is that being worked on now?

DARREN HINE: We know at this stage that Kingston is an area that has increased in population and work load. So we know that there's going to be some of those 30 go down there but the rest, we are still going through the process to have a look to see where they're going.

They don't graduate until March next year, so we still have a little bit of time to make sure that they are placed at the right areas.

AIRLIE WARD: The graduates would also address a push for increased professionalism.

DARREN HINE: This is the first year where the police officers who currently undertake recruit training, 15 units of the 24 unit degree are completed down in the academy. So the University of Tasmania delivers many of our subjects and many of our teaching curriculum.

So now they graduate after nine months with 15 units of a 24 unit degree. So it makes them better police officers because we have trained them better.

Ethics and accountability, are certainly strong on the training as well.

AIRLIE WARD: Rules for drinking alcohol on licensed police premises around the state will be tightened after the death of Road Safety Taskforce officer in a car crash.

Constable Josue Martinez was driving at double the speed limit with a blood alcohol level more than four times the legal limit in an uninsured and unregistered car, after a five hour drinking session at the Launceston police headquarters bar.

Is there a big culture of drinking within the association?

DARREN HINE: No. There's not a culture as you describe. There's.. obviously we employ people that represent the community and there's people in the community that like to have a drink. There is higher expectation that I have on our police officers and the community expect as well.

So we've got to make sure that people and police officers live up to those expectations.

DARREN HINE: I did hear that the Coroner's Court only publishes two per cent of their findings. We have no role to play in that. It's purely a matter for the court about what they release and what they don't release.

AIRLIE WARD: With the traditional protest season just around the corner, Commissioner Hine will be watching the progress of forest peace negotiations more keenly than many.

DARREN HINE: Any protect activity takes away police officers from doing what they would normally do.

So it does reduce our capacity out on the streets, even though we have plans and contingency plans to handle that. So look if we don't have to deal with protect activity in the forest, it will be a welcome to us and I think no doubt to the community as well.